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I’ll never forget that night.  I was still paired with Bob Simmons, a veteran of the force by twenty years. The chief told me he’d seen it all, from riots in Los Angeles to Presidential visits in big cities across the country. I’d learn from him, he told me. That was true, in its own way. In the end, I learned what not to do. It was the last call of the night. We were responding to a noise complai...

At first, I thought Ms. Hannah to be a godsend. Amidst the chaos of raising two children, her videos became an invaluable part of our parenting. Sometimes she was a currency to be bartered with and any parent would tell you that the hardest negotiations don’t take place in a corporate boardroom or at some G8 summit but in the bathtubs, bedrooms, and living rooms of your home.   “If you don’t brush...

When I finished moving into the apartment on sixth street, my landlord gave me one piece of advice: don’t park under the large walnut tree at the edge of the property. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue. After all, I had my own assigned parking space a short distance away. I never questioned my landlord’s advice. I figured since it was a walnut tree, previous tenants had an issue with following ob...

I remember the day I saw it. I was watching my parent’s dog Annie. She was a medium-sized golden retriever who was, like most golden retrievers, exuberant and energetic beyond all measure. Unlike most golden retrievers, however, Annie was afraid of just about everything. Everything from inflatable holiday decorations to an errant plastic bag floating into the yard were sufficient to send Annie int...

The rumors about Professor G.W. Stephens were as weird as they were eclectic. Some said that he had murdered his first wife and buried her in the middle of the quad and that on the anniversary of her death, would sit and toast on the exact spot with champagne.  Others claimed that he was actually a deep-state, CIA operative sent to infiltrate and dispel anti-government sentiment through brainwashi...

I’ll never forget what I found walking through the woods on that crisp spring evening. There was a moderate chill in the air that night. The season hadn’t finished turning. The night came quicker than it would in the long summer nights ahead. That should have been my first clue to stay clear. I had been cooped at work, taking so many extra hours I had become stir-crazy. I needed to get out for som...

Martinez crouched behind the concrete barrier. The fading evening sun cast the world in an ember glow. Martinez checked the battery life on his night vision. He’d be needing it tonight more than ever.  Ahead of him, Henries and two other team members held their weapons at the ready. Most were crouched on their knees or squatting behind the barrier. Martinez checked his watch. They only had five mi...

Mike’s rusty, 2004 Honda Civic was a piece of shit.  With over 150,000 miles, it was a miracle that it still ran. In fact, Mike was convinced that he could start it underwater. Throughout its life, the Civic had seen its fair share of adventures –– road trips to and from college, the awkward rocking cadence and foggy windows of adolescent sex, spilled McDonald’s fries wedged between the seats afte...

It must be a dream, Dave thought. That was the only logical, rational explanation.  But it wasn't. As Dave stepped onto the wobbly, cheap wooden ladder, he saw the telltale signs of what he saw last night. With every step he took on the barely stable ladder, Dave saw more evidence confirming what he had seen the night before. As his calf muscle pushed on the ladder, his whole body raised up, ascen...

17-Across was wrong. It had to be. 12-down was nine letters for “head of a tribe” - obviously “CHIEFTAIN” - and Max had correctly scribbled it in, albeit with shaky hands. If 12-down was correct, that meant 17-across had an “I” at the fifth letter.  “Goddammit,” Max muttered to himself as he tapped his pen on the coffee mug in front of him. Jean, a waitress as much a deli staple as the worn, check...

Raymond Mankowitz lay dying in his bed. At 95 years old, he had been sequestered in his room for nearly a week as hospice care gently guided his transition. His loved ones gathered, three generations deep – children, grandkids, and great-grandkids all paid their respects in his final days. Koko, the Bahamian hospice nurse often said that the “spirit wouldn’t leave until it says its goodbyes”. She...

I got meme’d on a Tuesday. I don’t know why, but I previously thought virality was exclusively a weekend phenomenon. So imagine my surprise when I awoke to 208,765 notifications, 150,000 new followers, and 37 missed calls from friends and loved ones and still had to roll out of bed and into work as if nothing had happened.  The walk from the elevator to my cubicle was reminiscent of navigating a h...

"This looks like a nuisance lawsuit. Plus, it's copyright infringement. That's far from what we do," said the old lawyer. "Wait," said the young lawyer, "You're missing the big picture. Even if we lose, this will be our most valuable client." The old lawyer shifted in her seat. She'd hired the young lawyer for a reason. "Okay then, she started." Tell me the story." --------------------------------...

Emma was engrossed in reading the latest book by horror author Sara Siu. These books were romance novels with a dash of true crime and only a thin horror veneer. The latest book was titled "Polyamorous Paradox." Only 20 pages in, she feared this would be another vampire tale. She hated vampires. She had always enjoyed reading these books in a bright, crowded space, where it was easy to "escape" if...

Dennis Kozlowski fancied himself to be the most interesting man in Oneida County. His family’s parcel sat amongst a group of dairy farmers on a small chain of lakes in Sugar Camp, Wisconsin. Koz took pride in explaining its history to any unsuspecting barstool occupant who wandered too close. Affectionately referred to simply as “Koz” the entire town had heard his stories. Ordering a pint with a s...

Mosley heard about the world's end on the radio while driving home. It surprised her but didn't upset her, not at first. She walked into the grubby apartment she shared with her friend, Artie. He sat in his beat-up armchair reading on his Kindle. Without acknowledging him, she slipped off her shoes, dropped her keys on the floor, shimmied out of her pants, and took her bra off through her sleeve....

The tinted-window SUV rolled down the dirty asphalt between warehouse buildings. The car door opened, and reporter Chris Lippard was deposited at a set of cement stairs leading to a bland pair of steel grey double doors on rusty hinges. It was all bland and ultimately forgettable. No numbers, letters, or other signs indicated this was the studio of revolutionary BioArtist Laurent Steif. Of course,...

When the main mast fell, Thomas had been in his quarters. The ink from his quil had barely touched the parchment – getting only as far as “My dearest Clara” before the relentless swells upended his cabin. The loud snap of the main mast’s wood sounded like one of the canons being fired. Waves nearly six meters high bombarded the ship's wooden hull like a boxer delivering blow after blow.  The water...

Looking up from his phone, he realized he was in line for a club. "Wait," he thought, "where am I?" A large man in black with a shaved head chastised the man in front of him for trying to bring a water bottle. "No outside liquids, man; you gotta' throw that away." "The bottle is mine. Can I bring that in?" "Sure, but you gotta' dump the liquid." The kid then started to move toward the trash can in...

They unloaded their bags in the back entryway of her house. It had been a fun, tiring day at the mall. Nine-year-old Adira even revealed some issues she had with her friends. Because of these issues, Aunt Née had decided to teach her niece Adira "the" brownie recipe. It was time to pass on the wisdom Yumi and Née had learned from their mom. The recipe was simple, thoughtful, and good for sorting o...

STEP #1:  Contract the illness at the most inconvenient time. Why would you want to spend your well-deserved vacation lying on a beach, tossing back a few daiquiris and sucking face with the girl of your dreams when you could be lying in bed and popping Advil every six hours? Mono is fun! “How can mono be fun” you might ask? Well if Dane Cook can be ‘hilarious’ and FOX News can be considered ‘info...

Through it all, the planet had continued spinning through the cosmic void. Ahmed didn't keep a calendar, but if his reading of the stars was correct, it had been around four thousand years since the last human breath. But, like the planet, Ahmed was still here. Was this grim anniversary a cause for some sort of celebration? How do you properly commemorate the death of a species? Some might argue t...

It was a hip restaurant with exposed brick walls and artificially composed graffiti. It was crowded, with dim lighting and a loud hip-hop soundtrack. Yet all this visual and acoustic noise couldn't hide that Kayla's date, Austin, was surrounded by a ghostly herd of cows. "I don't mean to be rude," said Kayla diplomatically, "This is just a first date, and we're getting to know each other - but I t...

The journey to the ashram at the top of Karinboque Peak is perilous to say the least. One 14-hour plane ride, a 10-hour train, 2.5 hrs by van, and you’ve finally reached the base of this mountain at the edge of the world. Despite its inhospitable nature, the area is a political hotbed lying on the border between China and the Uttarakhand state of Northern India. In the winter, temperatures can dro...

Rey King had a rough morning, and it was only 4:55 AM. For starters, a delivery had been left out in the rain overnight. The floors had also not been swept or mopped the night before. Lastly, someone had sprayed "gravy" (not gravy) with a super soaker all over the bathroom. "Donut Stop" donut shop was located just off the highway. A small place owned by a semi-retired couple, it specialized in caf...